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Paris stocks rally as Macron fights on, jobs data boosts Wall Street
US stocks mostly rose Friday after a report showed a healthy jobs market and Paris rallied as President Emmanuel Macron vowed to serve out his full term and end France's political crisis.
London police make 500 arrests using facial recognition tech
London's Metropolitan Police force said on Friday that it had used facial recognition technology to make more than 500 arrests in 2024 for offences ranging from shoplifting to rape.
Pandemic treaty talks round wrapping up without a breakthrough
A bonus round of talks striving to finish a landmark global agreement on handling future pandemics was set to close Friday without a breakthrough.
Statue of former Syrian president toppled in Hama
The image is particularly symbolic: A statue of former President Hafez al-Assad, the father of Syria's current ruler Bashar, was toppled in Hama after Islamist-led rebels overran the country's fourth-largest city, video authenticated by AFP showed.
US facing greater risk from inflation than labor market: Fed official
The US continues to face a greater risk from underlying inflation than from any weaknesses in the labor market, despite recent progress, a senior Federal Reserve official said Friday.
France's Macron seeks new PM and a way out of political crisis
President Emmanuel Macron on Friday sat down with party leaders on the left and right in a bid to hammer out a compromise that would give France a new prime minister and a path out of crisis.
US hiring rebounds after slump on hurricanes, strike
The US economy added more jobs than expected last month, government data showed Friday, bouncing back from a dramatic slowdown triggered by hurricanes and labor strikes.
Romania's top court scraps presidential election
Romania's constitutional court announced on Friday that it had annulled the presidential election following allegations of Russian interference, effectively cancelling the second-round run-off that had been due to take place this weekend.
EU and S.America countries conclude Mercosur trade deal
The EU and four South American countries have concluded a huge, but controversial trade deal that is opposed by France and many European farmers, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen announced on Friday.
Dozens killed in Mozambique post-election violence
At least 90 people have been killed in Mozambique amid clashes between anti-government protesters and security forces sparked by October's disputed presidential elections, civil society group Plataforma Decide said Friday.
Indonesia, Philippines agree to repatriate Filipina on death row
A Filipina on death row in Indonesia could be home before Christmas after Manila and Jakarta signed an agreement to repatriate her, officials said Friday.
S. Africa deporting assassin of anti-apartheid leader to Poland
The man who killed South African anti-apartheid leader Chris Hani, who was released from prison on parole in 2022, is being deported to Poland, the government announced Friday.
Impeachment looms ever closer for South Korean president
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday looked increasingly likely to be unseated after the head of his ruling party demanded he be stripped of office for briefly imposing martial law.
Political storm clouds Macron's Notre Dame glory
"We can do it!" President Emmanuel Macron told France on the night of April 16, 2019, the day after the fire that ravaged Notre Dame, as he set a target of five years to rebuild the great mediaeval edifice in the heart of Paris to its former glory.
Defiant Macron seeks new French PM and way out of crisis
President Emmanuel Macron on Friday was holding talks with French political leaders on the left and right as he seeks to name a new prime minister and find a way out of France's political crisis.
S. Korean democracy faces 'most critical moment', opposition leader tells AFP
Lawmakers camping out in parliament, hundreds of thousands of protestors expected outside, a landmark vote to impeach the president over martial law -- South Korean democracy faces its "most critical moment", opposition leader Lee Jae-myung told AFP Friday.
Old boys' club? S Korea plotters' high school links in spotlight
Key figures in South Korea's failed martial law bid share one key connection: they are all graduates of a prestigious, all-boys school in Seoul.
Indonesia, Philippines agree on repatriation of Filipina on death row
Manila and Jakarta signed an agreement Friday to repatriate Mary Jane Veloso, a Filipina on death row for drug charges in Indonesia since 2015, with officials saying she could return to the Philippines before Christmas.
EU chief meeting South American leaders to try to close trade deal
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will meet leaders of South America's Mercosur bloc on Friday, aiming to push through a controversial pact to create the world's biggest free trade zone despite last-minute resistance.
Syria rebel leader says goal is to overthrow Assad
Rebel forces pressing a lightning offensive in Syria aim to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad's rule, their Islamist leader said in an interview published on Friday.
Copenhagen takes on its biggest climate threat -- water
In low-lying Copenhagen where rising sea levels, groundwater and rainfall pose a risk to infrastructure, the Danish capital is trying to adapt and protect urban areas from climate change.
'People want change': inside Romania's far-right stronghold
In the Romanian village of Mihai Viteazu, where far-right presidential candidate Calin Georgescu performed particularly well in the first-round election in which he stormed to a surprise lead, businessman Ciprian Gavrila explained why.
Taiwan's Lai says 'confident' of deeper cooperation with Trump
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te said Friday he was "confident" of deeper cooperation with the next Donald Trump administration, a day after his call with US Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson that angered China.
Strikes on key bridge linking Syria's Homs, Hama: war monitor
Air strikes targeted a bridge on the highway linking the Syrian cities of Homs and Hama, a war monitor said Friday, as government forces scramble to secure Homs after Islamist-led rebels captured Hama and commercial hub Aleppo.
South Korean ruling party says 'dangerous' president must go
South Korea's ruling party chief demanded Friday that President Yoon Suk Yeol be removed from office after his abortive attempt to impose martial law, warning there was a "significant risk" he could try to subvert civilian rule again.
Most markets down as traders assess crises in S.Korea, France
Asian markets mostly fell Friday at the end of a volatile week, with South Korean stocks and the won still under pressure with the president's job hanging by a thread as he faces impeachment.
Taiwan's Lai visits Palau as China fumes over Pacific tour
Taiwan's largest coast guard patrol ship took part in a joint rescue drill in Palau on Friday, as visiting President Lai Ching-te fortifies ties in the Pacific where China has been poaching its allies.
Defiant Macron seeks new French PM, exit from crisis
President Emmanuel Macron on Friday was to hold talks with political factions as he seeks to name a new prime minister and find a way out of France's political crisis.
India, Pakistan share climate challenges but not solutions
Choking smog, scorching heat and ravaging floods -- arch-rivals India and Pakistan share the same environmental challenges, offering a rare but unrealised opportunity for collaboration, according to experts.
Lavrov says Russia ready to defend itself through 'any means'
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday said he hoped Ukraine's allies took "seriously" Moscow's recent use of a hypersonic missile in the conflict there, and warned that Russia was ready to use "any means" to defend itself.
South Korean ruling party demands Yoon step down
South Korea's ruling party chief demanded Friday that President Yoon Suk Yeol stand down over his martial law attempt, warning he posed a great danger to the country.
US neighbors balk at Trump plan for deported migrants
The Bahamas on Thursday said it had rejected a proposal from the incoming Trump administration to receive deported migrants, with Mexico and Panama also stressing they would only take back their own citizens.